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Demystifying Macarons By Helene Dujardin Photographs by Helene Dujardin unless otherwise noted.
I remember a moment I shared with my grandfather a few years ago while having a cup of tea
and a macaron. He held one up close to his mouth, stopped in his track, split it in half, scraped
the fillings on his paper napkin, handed me one half and ate the other. After he was done eating,
he exclaimed “That is a macaron, not those fancy schmancy colorful ones filled with flavors you
can’t even remember”.
What he was referring to was the traditional macarons from Nancy circa 1930. It was not until
then that famous pastry shop Laduree started selling the ones created by Pierre Desfontaine: a
confection sandwich of sort, with a ganache or buttercream filling. They were smoother than
their grandfather the macaron from Nancy, and thus started to lend themselves to many
interpretations.
The macaron trend of the 90s was the
result of great timing combined with
great talents. Pierre Herme, Laduree,
Gerard Mulot, Francois Payard and
Sadaharu Aoiki are known worldwide
for mastering the art of the macaron,
but the new generations of chefs like
Christophe Michalak (who opened
Paulette on the West Coast) and
Stephane Glacier, Christophe Felder.
Making macarons does not require to
be a rocket scientist, nor does creating
flavor combinations for the shells and
the filling. Our interest is peaked
however with ingredients such as
truffle, chestnut, rose, passion fruit,
salted butter caramel,…
We run to the kitchen our minds
stirring ideas like mad scientists,
wondering if we are going to be as
successful as Herme or Laduree.
We lay out our ingredients and tools.
We become adventurous and bold
with our ingredients and when that
first tray comes out of the oven it is
either a complete success or a perfect
flop. We either see the endless
possibilities of macarons to come or
we curse and groan wondering how
the ones we see on certain sites can
end up being so perfect all the time.
Picture: Macaron Bouquet.
Cocoa Nib Macaron With Bourbon Buttercream.
First thing I have got to confide to relax everybody: even seasoned macaron maker experiences
flops once in a while. While making some for this article, I started thinking about something
completely different and my mind wandered while I was folding the almonds into the
meringue….I must have given it way too many turns and strokes because I ended up with
cracked shells and volcano looking macarons. I knew what I did so that was easy to rectify but
for novice macaron makers I know how frustrating it can be to think you are following the recipe
correctly and end up with flat, cracked, or grainy macarons.
Much of the success of making a “good” macaron does not lies in what is written in the recipe
but in you’re reading beyond it, your touch, your instinct and practice, practice, practice. The
more you make them, the more you understand their finicky nature.
The method you chose won’t dictate the success of your batch, it is how you master that
particular way of making it; some bakers prefer the Italian meringue method while others favor
the French meringue one. The former one is based on a cooked meringue: a syrup of water and
sugar is brought to 230F and slowly poured over egg whites that have been whipped to a medium
stiff meringue. The resulting Italian meringue is then combined with the almond and powdered
sugar. While this method produces shiny and ready to bake macarons, it does require a little bit
more time and creates a bit more of a mess in your mixing bowl if you use a stand mixer. This
method can be a bit daunting for people making macarons for the first time.
I think that if you were to make macarons for the first time I would advise getting familiar with
the French meringue method first: your hands and wrists movement as well as your eyes will be
used to the “macaronage” process (the way of folding the whites with the almonds/powdered
sugar).
For reasons of practicality and time,
I really like using the French
meringue method. It means that your
egg whites are whipped with some
granulated sugar until you get a
medium stiff meringue and then
combined with the almonds and
powdered sugar. If you have
prepared your ingredients properly
(see below), they come together in
15 minutes and bake in about 10-12
minutes. Only caveat is that they
need to rest prior to baking for about
an hour. The rest period creates a
slight air-dried crust on the shells
that traps in the heat at the base and
pushes the edges upward during the
baking process, creating those little
feet. It’s like making pie dough or
sugar cookies from scratch, the rest
period is essential to a good finished
product.
For the sake of this article and
because this is the method illustrated
in these pictures I will focus on the
French meringue method. To put all
your chances on your side all
seasoned macaron makers will
recommend that you use 1 to 2 days
old egg whites, and up to 5 days-old.
The reason behind it is to reduce the
moisture content as much as
possible while keeping the protein
bonds from the egg whites the same.
The macaron batter is runny but
should not be watery. In that aspect,
some like to add some egg white
powder to create an even more stable
shell at the ratio of one or two teaspoons per batch. Experiment a few times and repeat the
moves and measurements that work for you. To age your eggs, simply separate the yolks from
the whites and store your whites in a covered container in the coldest part of your kitchen. There
is no risk of contamination, only if you were using the yolks.
In the picture: Grapefruit & Anise Macarons.
Whip your egg whites to a soft foam that should feel like bubble bath foam, slowly add
the small amount of granulated sugar the recipe calls for and continue to whip them until
you obtain a medium stiff meringue which means that your whites should form a beak
when you lift your whisk but should not appear to separate in chunks and be dry. Think
of it as shaving cream consistency. My grandmother’s trick was to start turning the bowl
upside down above my head (!): if the eggs where sliding out that meant they were not
ready, the minute they held up defying gravity you were good to go (see, no rocket
scientist there either!)
The second most important piece of the macaron puzzle is the combination of almonds
and powdered sugar no matter which method you chose. After many experiments with
different brands of almond flour, I now prefer to buy whole almonds (with or without the
skin) and grind them myself. Granted it is easier to go with pre-ground, just make sure to
check the dates on the package. I like to measure them whole, add them to the powdered
sugar and process them until very very smooth in a food processor. Do not worry about
creating an oily paste, that is what the powdered sugar is here to prevent. If you chose to
make hazelnuts, peanuts or pistachio flavored macarons, try to keep a 50% ratio of
almonds to other nuts. Almonds are the least oily of all nuts and they will keep your
batter to the right consistency.
One other thing to look for also is the kind of powdered sugar you use. Most powdered
sugar in the USA contain some % of cornstarch but forget the $.99 brands as
manufacturers often saturate these to keep their costs down. Since there is no regulation
on giving the customers the exact ratio they have put in the box, my best advice would be
to use the “popular” brand or the store brand and not necessarily the cheap “value” one.
A bit of cornstarch is good when you make macarons as it helps keep the moisture down
a bit.
(Picture above courtesy of Jackie Baisa, Studio Baisa Photography)
Coffee And Chicoree Macarons
Once your almonds are ground finely with your powdered sugar, sift them to make sure
you break all the lumps and that all the rough almond pieces are removed. If your food
processor is powerful enough you can skip this step and just empty the content in a
separate bowl and use a whisk to break the mixture and prevent clumps.
Now comes the dreaded moment…the macaronage or the mixing of the meringue with
the almonds and sugar. No matter what method you use, it only requires one too many
strokes to end up with a disaster and even experienced macaron bakers have to keep
focused during that one.
First time makers will be fold very gently and very slowly the ingredients afraid to break
the meringue and not incorporate the ingredients properly. When I teach people about
macarons their jaws drop to the floor when they see me grabbing my spatula and starting
to fold vigorously and rather fast at first, slowing down the pace after the first 30 seconds
or so. No fear! You need to break down your meringue. That’s part of the macaronage.
If you are making plain macarons, fold quickly and firmly at first but slow down to
evaluate the consistency of your batter. Hold your bowl with one hand, place your spatula
in the center of the bowl, scrape the bottom and bring the bottom to the top. Rotate the
bowl 45 degrees and continue to fold until everything is incorporated. It should form a
thick ribbon that seems to flatten itself a bit when spooned but with a sturdy consistency.
If you think you are not there yet, give it a couple more strokes and re-evaluate. Better
under-fold than the contrary. From the moment you start transferring the batter from your
mixing bowl to the pastry bag and then pipe the shells onto baking sheets, you continue
to squeeze the air bubbles out of the meringue so the batter will continue to thin out. If
you start piping an over-mixed batter you will end up with cracked and feetless
macarons.
If you want to add food colorings
or flavors such as matcha powder
or cocoa, add them to the batter right
after you have started to break it up a
bit; it will allow your add-ons to get
thoroughly mixed without over-mixing.
You can add 2-3 Tb of sifted cocoa
powder or 1 Tb sifted matcha powder
to an entire batch. Powdered food
colorings are generally prefered to tint
the macarons as they do not add any
moisture to the batter.
Here in the US the brand ChefMaster
is reliable and widely available.
Should you be in bind one day and
have to use liquid ones, a quick trick is
to add about 1 tsp or 2 of egg white powder or 1-2 Tbs of slightly beaten egg white to the
batter when you fold it.
Before you set out to pipe the shells, line 2 to 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or
silicone mats. If you are pastry bag challenged, place your bag in a tall glass and fill it
with the batter, you won’t have to worry about holding it with one hand while scooping
the batter with the other. Use pastry tips that are about ½ inch to ¾ inch in diameter. My
favorite ones are Ateco #807 and #809. Imagine a circle 1 ½ inches in diameter on your
baking sheet and position your tip ½ inch above and in the middle of that invisible round
and start piping with a small pressure from the top of the bag. Pipe the shells leaving 1 to
2 inches in between them.
Rap the sheets against each other to eliminate extra air bubbles and let them sit on the
counter for 30 minutes to an hour. Some like to bake their macarons with the oven door
kept slightly open (with the use of a wooden spoon) but given that where I live we do not
need any extra heat as it is, I lower the temperature a bit and keep the door closed and
280F-300F seems to be a happy medium so far.
Once your macarons are baked, let them cool for about 10-15 minutes. They should
easily peel off the parchment paper at that point. If for any reason you have trouble with
this step, one trick is to either put them back in the oven for an extra five minutes or to
put a couple of drops of water under the parchment paper for a couple of minutes. The
moisture from the water should help them come off but don’t let them sit on it too long or
they will become soggy.
Hopefully all these steps will help you achieve success quickly but just like almost
anything in life, “practice makes perfect”. After that, the possibilities and combinations
are endless and let you create and experiment!
(Picture above courtesy of Jackie Baisa, Studio Baisa Photography)
Macarons filled with Blueberry Sorbet.
Basic French Meringue Macaron Batter:
100g egg whites (about 3 from medium eggs)
25 gr. granulated sugar
200 gr. powdered sugar
110 gr. almonds, whole or ground
seeds of ½ vanilla bean
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam,
gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue. Combine the almonds and
powdered sugar in a food processor and give them a quick pulse if you use already
ground almonds (that you have ground yourself separately) It will break the powdered
sugar lumps and combine your almonds with it evenly. If you use whole almonds, pulse
thoroughly for a minute or so. Add them to the meringue, along with the seeds from the
vanilla bean, and start to give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The
whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the
tops flatten on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a
couple more folds.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in
diameter) onto parchment paper baking sheets. Preheat the oven to 280F - 300F. Let the
macarons sit out for an hour to harden their shells a bit and bake for 15-18 minutes,
depending on their size. Let them cool completely before filling. Pipe or spoon some of
your filling on one shell and sandwich with another one.
If using color:
After the first few folding strokes necessary to start incorporating the ingredients add 1Tb
powdered food coloring. Proceed with the rest of the recipe, following the folding
guidelines explained above.
Filling suggestions:
Bittersweet Toffee ganache: 3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup bittersweet chocolate
¼ cup crushed toffee
In a heavy saucepan set over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from
the stove and add the chocolate to it. Let stand 2 minutes and then stir until fully
combined. Let cool until firm enough to put in a small piping bag.
White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache:
1 1/2 cup white chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup good quality raspberry jam
Heat the cream until hot. Drop the chocolate and jam into the cream and stir until all are
melted and come together. Let cool until firm enough to pipe or spoon onto the macaron
shells.
Helene writes Tartelette and works as a freelance food photographer. Her portfolio is visible here. Thank you Jackie Baisa of Studio Baisa Photography for providing pictures on pages 5 and 7.